Secrets, Lies & Heartbreak
by Mala1
Summary: It's Capeside's 10 Year High School Reunion!


Title: Homecoming  
  
Part: 1  
  
Author: Chantal aka Mala  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None Summary: Joey & Dawson return home for their high school reunion.  
  
Category: Dawson/Joey/Pacey  
  
Disclaimer: I only own the made up characters  
  
"Hurry up, mummy and daddy!" Samantha Leery called out as she darted through the crowd of people at Capeside Airport.  
  
"Samantha, get back here," Joey Leery called out angrily.  
  
"I'll get her," Dawson Leery said to his wife.  
  
Joey watched as he chased after Samantha. She wished Samantha would behave herself. She felt jittery enough being back in Capeside as it was. It had been a long time since they'd been home. In fact it was Samantha's first time being in Capeside.  
  
Joey hurried to catch up as Dawson reached Samantha quickly and gripped her arm in his hand.  
  
"Ouch!" Samantha exclaimed.  
  
"You'll stay with us," Dawson said to their 5-year-old daughter sternly.  
  
They finally arrived outside and waited for a taxi.  
  
"I can't believe how busy this place is," Dawson observed. "Have we really been away that long?"  
  
"Daddy, let go," Samantha whined, as she tried to pull away from Dawson.  
  
"Sammie please behave. We'll be at Grandma's soon," Dawson said.  
  
Dawson turned to Joey. "You're quiet Jo."  
  
Joey shrugged and smiled weakly. "I'm fine. Just tired and anxious to see Mum."  
  
Dawson smiled and placed his free arm around his wife. He squeezed her briefly as thoughts he had been having about moving back to Capeside began to creep into his mind again.  
  
~*~  
  
Joey hummed to herself as she cooked breakfast the next morning. Her sister in law padded into the kitchen.  
  
"Morning Jo," Lillian Leery said with a tired smile.  
  
She yawned as she began to make coffee.  
  
"I'm not a normal person until I've had my morning coffee," Lily explained.  
  
"I know what you mean," Joey commented as she turned down the heat of the stove. "How is school going?"  
  
"Good," Lily said. "We have to start thinking about what we'd like to do at college. I have no idea! I'm only 15."  
  
Joey smiled. "I had no idea until I actually had to fill in the college applications. Don't stress too much about that."  
  
"I won't," Lily answered. "Besides I may not even go to college. Don't tell Mum though or she'll go mad."  
  
Joey frowned but tried to sound more like an older sister than mother. "It's your decision Lily, but don't discount college yet. I know another 4 years of school after high school sounds like hell but college is a lot better than high school."  
  
Lily poured hot water into 2 mugs then brought them to the kitchen table just as Dawson entered with Samantha on his hip.  
  
"Good morning wife," he said chirpily. "Good morning sister."  
  
He placed Samantha on a chair next to Lily then returned to help Joey at the stove.  
  
"Why are you so happy big brother?" Lily asked with scepticism. "No one can be that happy until they've had coffee."  
  
"It's great to be home," Dawson said enthusiastically. "The fresh air, country sounds.. I love it!"  
  
Joey eyed Dawson worriedly as she began to dish out breakfast. She hoped Dawson didn't want to live in Capeside again.  
  
"We can swap houses then," Lily said as she poured herself another coffee. "I'd live in New York instead of Capeside any day of the week."  
  
"You drink too much coffee for a teenager," Dawson observed just as his mother walked into the kitchen.  
  
Again he was struck by how old she looked. He knew she had never gotten over his father's death. He hoped it wasn't affecting her health.  
  
"You'll live in New York over my dead body," Gale Leery announced to Lily. "I don't even like Joey & Dawson living there."  
  
They all began eating and catching up.  
  
"So what are your plans for today?" Gale asked her children.  
  
"I was going to ask Lily if she wanted to come shopping with me. I need to find a dress to wear to the reunion," Joey answered with a look to Lily.  
  
Lily frowned. "I'd love to come but I'm sure you could've found something better in New York."  
  
"Honey," Dawson began with a funny look on his face. "Do you mind taking Sammie? I have a couple of errands to run and she'll just get in the way."  
  
"Okay," Joey answered but was a little surprised. Normally Dawson didn't let Samantha out of his sight.  
  
Lily jumped up from her seat. "Let me just get changed. I'll be back in 5."  
  
"But you're already dressed," Dawson called out to her.  
  
Joey smirked. "Obviously not good enough for a trip to the mall."  
  
She smiled, thinking of her own teenage-hood and hoping Lily was having a much more smoother one.  
  
~*~  
  
"Jo, this is amazing," Lily said pulling out a long black strapless dress with a long split up the side.  
  
Joey smiled. "Lily, I can't wear anything like that anymore."  
  
"Come on Jo, you're only 27," Lily said, holding the dress up in front of Joey.  
  
Joey pushed the dress aside. "Yeah, a 27 year old who has a 5 year old daughter. I'm not as slim as I used to be."  
  
Lily shook her head. She couldn't believe that Joey couldn't see how amazing she looked.  
  
"Jo, believe me, you don't look older than 21. Now try on the dress. I'll find some more for you," Lily insisted.  
  
"Okay, but keep an eye on Sammie," Joey sighed as she spotted Samantha hiding in the racks of very expensive looking dresses.  
  
Lily nodded as she picked Samantha up and began talking to her as they sifted through more dresses.  
  
Joey, satisfied that Lily had her daughter under control, wandered into a dressing room and began to undress. She frowned at the stretch marks on her body and at the realisation that she was no longer a perfect size 6. She was more a size 12. She wondered when she allowed herself to get so big.  
  
She shimmied the dress over her head and watched as it fell softly down to her ankles. At first she thought she looked ghastly but as she stared at herself, she realised she hadn't worn anything so beautiful in a long time. She even thought she looked half decent.  
  
Joey stepped out of the change room to show Lily when she saw Samantha crawling through people's legs as she headed toward the exit.  
  
"Samantha!" Joey called out as she rushed toward her daughter.  
  
Not realising she was still wearing the boutique's merchandise she followed Samantha out of the store and as she began to bend to grab Samantha's arm, she bumped headlong into someone.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Joey mumbled as she grabbed Samantha's hand and yanked her to her feet.  
  
She glanced up at the stranger and both their eyes widened.  
  
"Pacey," Joey said at the same time he said "Joey."  
  
"Wow, you look amazing," Pacey said, bewildered.  
  
"Omigod! The dress," Joey said just as she could hear the store alarm going off. "I was meant to be just trying it on when I saw my daughter leaving the shop."  
  
The store staff came outside and one of them grabbed Joey's arm.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Joey said. "I wasn't stealing it. My daughter was running off, I had to catch her."  
  
"Please take this dress off at once," the sales assistant said with a frown.  
  
"Okay," Joey said as she looked around for Lily. "Where is Lily? She's meant to be watching Samantha."  
  
"I'll watch her for you, if you like," Pacey said.  
  
"Are you sure?" Joey asked.  
  
"Go on, we'll be fine," Pacey insisted.  
  
Joey nodded her thanks and hurried inside, shaking, while the sales assistant followed her.  
  
She spotted Lily calling out her name at the dressing rooms.  
  
"Lily, you weren't watching Samantha. Luckily I saw her leaving the store," Joey said angrily.  
  
"I'm so sorry Jo. Wow you look amazing in that dress," Lily said, changing tack.  
  
"I have to take it off. The sales assistant thought I was stealing it."  
  
Lily hid her grin as Joey disappeared into the dressing room.  
  
~*~  
  
"So Joey.....it's great to see you after all this time," Pacey said as the waitress placed a cappuccino in front of him.  
  
Joey nodded, trying to hide her nervousness, as she poured some sugar into her flat white coffee.  
  
Pacey had insisted they have coffee to catch up and Joey had asked Lily to take Samantha home.  
  
"Yeah, what have you been doing with yourself?" Joey asked him.  
  
"Not a lot to be honest. I'm living in Capeside and working at the sailing club. I'm studying education part time," he answered proudly.  
  
"Wow. You want to teach?" Joey asked.  
  
"Eventually. Once I finish my studies, I'm going to sail around the world."  
  
"Really? Won't that be hard?" Joey asked.  
  
Pacey nodded as he sipped his cooling drink. "Yep but I can't wait. It's really going to test me."  
  
Joey nodded slowly as she stirred her coffee.  
  
"So, Samantha. She's a cutie. Looks like her mother," Pacey began. "Are you still married to Dawson?"  
  
Joey nodded. "Yeah, nearly 5 years. It's gone fast."  
  
Pacey stared at Joey with her eyes lowered down at her coffee. He knew something was going on with her. Something she wasn't saying.  
  
"Did you ever think about me?" he asked softly.  
  
Joey looked up suddenly. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Graduation night. Come on Joey, you couldn't have forgotten. It meant everything to me," Pacey said softly but intensely.  
  
"Pacey, please. I'm married now. With a daughter. We've all moved on," Joey said, looking away from Pacey's intense gaze.  
  
"How old is Samantha?" Pacey asked Joey.  
  
Joey stiffened, wondering if he was working it out.  
  
"Five," she said with a frightened look in her eye.  
  
Pacey nodded. "So you got together with Dawson pretty quickly after that night."  
  
Joey nodded, relieved that Pacey didn't seem to suspect. "I guess so. I mean it was a slow progress. We wanted to make sure things were going to work out this time. Then I got pregnant and it just seemed right to get married."  
  
Pacey nodded. "Well I hope you're happy. I really mean it. You deserve to finally be happy."  
  
"Thank you Pacey," Joey said with a relieved but guilty smile.  
  
She knew it was wrong. Wrong on all of them, especially her beautiful little girl. But no one could ever know the truth.  
  
"So are you looking forward to the reunion?" Pacey asked.  
  
Joey nodded as she nibbled on a biscuit. "I can't wait to see Jen. The last time I saw her was at her wedding. You weren't there."  
  
Pacey shook his head. "I couldn't get time off work. I begged her to get married in Capeside but I guess Hawaii is more romantic."  
  
Joey smiled. "Yeah, it was beautiful. I wanted to get married before I got too big so we just got hitched in a registry office. Not exactly my dream wedding but I wouldn't trade Sammie for anything."  
  
"Of course not. Hey, Andie's coming to the reunion," Pacey said with a big smile.  
  
"Really? That's fantastic!" Joey exclaimed. "I really haven't seen her for 10 years. How did you find out?"  
  
"I've been in contact with her. After Audrey & I split I realised how much I missed her. So I contacted her through Jack and we've been in touch ever since," Pacey revealed.  
  
Despite herself, Joey felt a stab of jealously go through her. "Oh really? How is she doing?"  
  
"Great. She's living permanently in Italy now with her husband and 2-year- old son. She's loving it over there. I don't think she'll ever come back here to live," Pacey said.  
  
"Great," Joey said with a smile, relieved he wasn't back with Andie. She couldn't handle that piece of news, although she wasn't sure why.  
  
"Hey that would be great if she brought her son. He can come to Sammie's birthday party. We'll be having it here before we go back to New York," Joey explained.  
  
Pacey shook his head. "She's coming alone. Her husband can't get here because of work so she decided to take a break from motherhood and leave Timmy with his dad."  
  
"Timmy? After her brother? How sweet."  
  
"Timothy Jack Laroque," Pacey said then went silent. Joey could see a strange look flit across his face.  
  
"That's great. I'm sure Jack is a proud uncle!" Joey exclaimed, trying to ignore Pacey's sudden silence.  
  
"When did you and Dawson get together?" Pacey asked.  
  
Joey looked at Pacey strangely. "What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
"Just answer the question Joey," Pacey insisted.  
  
"About 2 months after our little encounter," Joey said without thinking. "Which I'd like to remind you ended because of you. You took off the next morning and I didn't hear from you again for months."  
  
A light shone in Pacey's eye, memories of his last ever encounter with Joey burned into his brain. "So Samantha was premature."  
  
"Excuse me?" Joey asked, starting to panic. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Work it out Joey. It's obvious to anyone with half a brain. If Samantha's birthday is next week then she was either approximately 2 months premature or she was conceived the night we had sex."  
  
Joey stood up unsteadily. She couldn't believe Pacey had worked it out just like that.  
  
"Which means Samantha is my daughter," Pacey said with awe.  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about. This is another blatant attempt to get back at me. You're jealous. Jealous that I have everything and you have nothing," Joey yelled as she grabbed her bag from under the table.  
  
"Joey, wait. Let's talk about this rationally. Joey don't go," Pacey pleaded as he stood up to grab her arm.  
  
"Stay away from me and my family," Joey said as she hurried off.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....  
  
Is Samantha Leery really Pacey's daughter and how long will Joey be able to keep it a secret from Dawson? Find out in Part 2 - Confrontations. 


End file.
